Match Preview: Wigan vs. Chelsea

Wigan Athletic will keen to erase the memory of last weekend's drubbing by Blackpool but face a massive task in halting red-hot Chelsea at the DW Stadium.

The Latics were stunned 4-0 by the newly-promoted side last Saturday while Chelsea proved they are in no mood to relinquish their grip on the title with a 6-0 thrashing of West Brom.

Wigan played Chelsea on the final day of last season and few have forgotten how the Lancashire side suffered a humiliating 8-0 defeat when Carlo Ancelotti's side clinched the title.

However, Wigan were one of the few teams to inflict a league defeat on Chelsea last season with goals from Titus Bramble, Hugo Rodallega and Paul Scharner giving Roberto Martinez's men a 3-1 success.

If recent form is anything to go by then Chelsea will run out easy winners. Wigan have shipped 24 goals in their last 10 league games while the Blues have gone 406 minutes without conceding at the back.

Wigan news

Charles N'Zogbia could return to the Wigan side for the visit of the champions after being left out against the Seasiders.

The French winger was omitted for last week's 4-0 thrashing by manager Martinez, who questioned the player's attitude amid speculation over his future.

Martinez has since played down reports of a rift between the pair and said the 24-year-old will be in contention on Saturday.

The Spanish boss must also decide whether to keep faith with goalkeeper Chris Kirkland after his personal horror show in their season opener.

Forward Victor Moses has been ruled out with a calf injury while club captain Gary Caldwell remains on the sidelines after double hip surgery in the summer.

Chelsea news

Chelsea boss Ancelotti may give a Premier League debut to new signing Ramires. The Brazil international has joined from Benfica, although Jon Obi Mikel performed well against the Baggies.

Didier Drogba, who is aiming to score a league hat-trick for the third consecutive game, is sure to retain his place up front and he will be supported by Frenchman Nicolas Anelka.

Branislav Ivanovic is expected to be recalled into Ancelotti's starting XI after missing out last week due to an injury sustained on international duty. Portuguese full-back Paulo Ferreira will make way.

Jose Bosingwa remains on the sidelines with a knee injury and will play no part as Chelsea look to maintain their impressive start to the new campaign.

Possible starting XIs:

Wigan: Kirkland, Boyce, Alcaraz, Gohouri, Figueroa, McCarthy, Diame, Moses, Watson, Rodallega, Boselli.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Cole, Mikel, Essien, Lampard, Malouda, Anelka, Drogba.

Ramires Not Ready

Carlo Ancelotti has announced that Ramires will not be involved at Wigan but should make his debut against Stoke.

The Brazilian midfielder joined Chelsea from Benfica last week in a big-money deal but is not yet ready to be in contention.

Blues supporters are likely to get a first glimpse of Ramires in action the following Saturday when Stoke travel to Stamford Bridge.

Ancelotti has few injury concerns to key players ahead of the clash with the Latics and revealed that Jose Bosingwa will soon be back in training following a long lay-off due to a knee problem.

"Ramires came back this morning, he will train today, and will not be involved on Saturday," the Chelsea manager said on the club's official website.

"Next week he will be ready to play against Stoke and he will be involved in the match.

"(Branislav) Ivanovic had a little problem in his stomach and is fit and ready to play on Saturday.

"We are without (Jose) Bosingwa, he will start to train with the team next week and maybe needs again two or three weeks to play.

"(Jeffrey) Bruma will have surgery this morning for a hernia, and (Gael) Kakuta has a problem on his back.

"The other players are in good condition. (Frank) Lampard had a problem before the match against West Bromwich on his ankle, but trained well, recovered well and is fit."

Chelsea suffered a surprise defeat at the DW Stadium last season before taking their revenge on the final day of the campaign with an 8-0 home victory that clinched the title.

The Blues then continued their prolific goalscoring form by beating West Brom 6-0 on the opening day of this term, but Ancelotti is not expecting an easy match.

He said: "I am sure it will be a different game on Saturday (to West Brom), the last game at Wigan we lost 3-1 and for this reason I think we have to prepare well for this game, above all mentally.

"I will be happy if we can win just 1-0. It is important to have a clean sheet, it is important to score when possible but this is not football, to win 6-0 or 7-0 cannot happen every day. It is important to win, to play well, and if possible to score.

"We have to pay attention, they started bad, lost at home against Blackpool and they want to be strong, to have power, to do a different match. We have to pay attention because they have quality and skills in front."

Blues Striker Relishes Playmaking Role

Nicolas Anelka made headlines yesterday for laughing off his international ban for France, but when it comes to club football for Chelsea, the Frenchman is more focused than ever on diversifying his skill set.

The 31-year old, who has represented a plethora of clubs before his arrival at Stamford Bridge two years ago, feels confident about being surrounded with great finishers such as Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, and Frank Lampard.

Hence, he insists that it has been a natural process for him to go from a lethal finisher to an effective playmaker over the course of time that he has spent in West London.

Speaking to the club’s website, he said: “Now I like the way I am playing but I have always liked to create goals and give assists because I like to win. When you want to win, even if you don’t score you want to make someone score and this is what I did last weekend.

“For me when you score and when you create a goal, it is the same. When you like football, I think you must like to do both as well,” he added.

Having won the Golden Boot Award in his first full season with the club not too long ago, Anelka acknowledges that scoring goals always remains a top priority for a hungry forward.

However, based on his experience, he insists that in a physical league such as the English top flight, players over 30 years old must be prepared to structure their game differently as per the needs of their team. After all, nothing is more important than winning!

“I will try to score more and I will try to do more assists but as I say, the most important is to win games and I am sure even if I don’t score, even if I don’t give assists then someone else will do it.

“Players need to change how they play in their thirties and even more so in England because it is so physical and quick with a lot of contact. You are not like you were when you were younger so you need to adapt your game – and this is exactly what I want to do,” concluded Anelka.

Ancelotti Slams French Federation Over Anelka Ban

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has slammed the French Football Federation for banning striker Nicolas Anelka for 18 matches.

Anelka was suspended from international duty after being sent home from the World Cup following a dressing room row with then-France coach Raymond Domenech at half-time of the group stage match against Mexico.

The French squad refused to train for one day in South Africa in a show of solidarity with Anelka - an action which sparked outrage in France and led to a government probe into the scandal.

Blues striker Anelka responded to the ban by calling the federation's chiefs "clowns" and insisted he had already retired from international football.

Ancelotti is adamant Anelka doesn't deserve to be hit with such a lengthy suspension and, speaking at his weekly press conference on Friday, he said: "I think it was unfair for him - 18 games is too much.

"I don't know what happened there but Anelka is an honest man and he didn't deserve the decision.

"But Anelka has reacted very well. He has taken it with good spirit."

Ancelotti, who took charge at Chelsea last year, insists Anelka has never caused him any problems and he believes the ban is good news for the Premier League champions as it gives one of their star players extra time to rest.

"He never caused any problems for me. It is good news for myself because he can stay here to train during the international break, he can maintain a good condition," Ancelotti added.

"But for him it is not good news because every player wants to play in the national team."

Ancelotti will need Anelka to remain at his best this season after missing out on Brazilian striker Neymar when the highly-rated 18-year-old decided to remain at Santos rather than move to Stamford Bridge.

Hutchinson Forced To Retire

Chelsea youngster Sam Hutchinson has been forced to retire from professional football following a recurrence of a knee injury.

The 21-year-old defender has struggled with his fitness for several years, leaving him unable to build on a career that saw him handed his first senior game at the end of the 2006/07 season by Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach spoke of his ability to become a first-team player in the future, however despite his young age he has consistently been hampered and has now chosen to quit.

Hutchinson began the 2007/08 season with bright prospects after several appearances for the reserves and also won a place in England's Under-21 squad, as well as making three appearances last season.

He will now be given support by the club to study sports science at university and will work on his coaching qualifications as part of Chelsea's academy.

Alex - Ramires Identical To Essien

Chelsea defender Alex has compared the club's new signing Ramires to current midfield star Michael Essien.

Brazil international Ramires completed a big-money move to Stamford Bridge from Benfica last week and has been handed the No.7 shirt.

Alex feels his compatriot's playing style is similar to that of Essien and is confident Ramires will be a success for the Premier League champions.

"I was talking with Jose Bosingwa and we were saying how Ramires is a lot like Michael Essien," Alex told the club's official website.

"He's not as strong as Essien, but he has the same style on the pitch.

"He goes forward very quickly, then he comes back and marks very well. He's a very good player.

"It's very important for me and the team that the midfielders go to shoot and arrive at the goal, but then get back to mark.

"He's almost the same as Michael Essien like that, so I am expecting a lot of goals, which is important for us.

"He will get to play with Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard, we have a very good midfield group and he will do a great job for us."

Neymar Explains His Decision To Reject Chelsea & Play On With Santos

Santos prodigy Neymar has stated that he will remain in Brazil for the time being, choosing to snub a lucrative offer from Premier League outfit Chelsea.

The 18-year-old Brazil international has been linked with a move to Europe for much of the summer, but over the last fortnight the Blues had emerged as strong favourites for his signature. Neymar seemed undecided for a period, but he has now told a press conference that he won’t be moving to England yet.

“The final decision is always that of the player,” he stated. “I talked to my father, my family, and I have decided to stay. I am happy, and that's what I want. I think this decision will help me a lot in my game, because I'm happy. Money alone does not buy happiness.”

Club president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira was left delighted.

“The decision of Neymar is not based on a simple comparison of numbers, because otherwise Santos would have lost. This is a much more thoughtful decision, which shows that a child of 18 years is capable of taking the decisions of a mature man,” he said.

Neymar has already been capped once by Brazil, scoring against the USA on his international debut last week.

Chelsea Set To Send Serbian Duo Out On Loan

Chelsea want to send Serbians Nemanja Matic and Slobodan Rajkovic out on loan before the transfer window closes.

Midfielder Matic, who is 6ft 4iin tall and 22-years-old has made only three substitute appearances for the Blues since arriving from Slovakian side MFK Kosice a year ago and needs match practice.

And Chelsea are also looking for a home for defender Rajkovic, who is said to interest Fulham but has spent his entire Blues career away from the club - playing at PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente in Holland so far.

"We have to find a solution for some players to give them a loan, above all the young players,” said manager Carlo Ancelotti.

"Rajkovic, maybe Matic. We are trying to find a solution with them.”

Essien Helps Sports In The City Campaign

Michael Essien was joined by Capital FM's Johnny Vaughan at an adidas Blue Pitch close to the Bridge to support Help a London Child's Sport in the City campaign.

He was united with young people who have been taking part in football sessions delivered by Chelsea Foundation coaches at the adidas Blue Pitch on Eel Brook Common.

The Sport in the City program provides free sport to underprivileged youngsters from across the capital during the summer holidays.

'I wish I had somewhere like this to play but it was not the same for me when I was growing up,' said Essien.

'It is good to have pitches like this for the kids where they can learn how to play football.

'Football more than any other sport is good to help them, to keep them fit and to keep them away from the streets as well.'

Help a London Child's Sport in the City campaign is expected to capture the imaginations of over 4,000 children by giving them taster sessions in a variety of sports.

The activities taking place across Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Wandsworth, Southwark and Islington include swimming, street dance, tennis, handball, netball, basketball, volleyball, boxing, squash, climbing, karate and gymnastics.

With funding from the Premier League's Creating Chances program and Chelsea's Community Shield allocation from the FA, the specially-designed program is being delivered by the London Coaching Foundation and members of UK Fitness Network.

'We're here to celebrate the partnership between Help a London Child and Chelsea Football Club for the Sport in the City program,' said Vaughan. 'It runs throughout the summer holidays to keep kids off the street and doing good things.

'You don't want children to stray, see who is kicking around during the day and fall in with the wrong crew when they're bored. So sport is just a great way to get them involved.

'It teaches all the right lessons about discipline, teamwork, valuing your own talent and what you've got. And there's a place for everyone on the sports pitch, so it's absolutely fantastic, it really is.'

Once Essien had met all the children at Eel Brook Common he moved onto the Linford Christie Stadium in the north of Hammersmith and Fulham to watch Chelsea Foundation coaches host a training session for the Barclays Spaces for Sports program.

The program is designed to strengthen communities through sport and currently boasts an average of 53,000 people using Barclays Spaces for Sports sites across the country. The Linford Christie Stadium is one of these sites and is utilized by Chelsea Foundation coaches to provide football sessions to children in the area.